Dancing in the Night
by Dara Tavar
Summary: Walking through the woods on far guard, Dimitri comes across the most beautiful gypsy he's ever seen. He plans on just watching her from his hiding place in the trees...but Rose has other plans. She wants Dimka to join her...her friends watching or not.
1. Chapter 1

**I've been working on this story for a while now but stopped for a while when my cousin was in the hospital. I couldn't remember where I was going with this story, but came up with an ending that I thought was alright. For most of the story this is in Dimitri's POV, but then it changes so it's no one's. I don't know any gypsy dances, so I just made up what they do. Sorry if it's not that good, but I'm not really good at describing dances in the first place, let alone making them up.  
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**This is my first Vampire Academy story and, no, I've not read the newest book yet. I read Shadow Kissed and hated the end so much that I've put off reading the next one for quite a while. Eventually I'll read it, but I haven't decided when they will happen as of now.**

**Well, that's enough from me. Enjoy!**

**Dara Tavar  
**

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**Dancing in the Night**

I was on far guard tonight, and that meant that I walked the outskirts of the woods. It was one of those rare times when we switched to a day schedule. This time was merely because humans had been coming around the area and camping…that time yet again. We wouldn't have bothered to change our schedule, except we didn't want to arouse suspicion by waking campers up in the middle of the night with our activities…especially if they were roaming and came across the school to see students, or teachers who thought a dhampir student needed a pop quiz, attacking one another.

As I wandered through the woods my eyes and ears were alert for anything potentially dangerous to the students, other guardians, teachers, or myself.

As I thought of the sleeping students my mind drifted to Rose…my Roza, eighteen, graduating, going to be protecting Lissa full time. I shuddered and ended the long list of things that popped into my mind when I thought about her.

I couldn't bear to think of all she'd been through in the last year. In Spokane she'd nearly lost Mason, barely saving him before he got his neck snapped. When the trials came up she was forced away from Lissa and had to guard Christian, though she handled that very well. She started seeing ghosts and began to think she might be going crazy, only to prove to everyone that she was sane. She had to deal with Victor's trail and his claiming a statutory rape case needed to be done on her in the middle of the hearing. After all this stress, she learns that Anna committed suicide shortly after Vladimir's death, and was also thought to have been going crazy nearing the end of her life. And on top of all this, a large group of Strigoi attacked the school.

Because of this attack on the school Rose's neck sported the two red lightning bolt shaped X's from Spokane and yellow star. It was more than any novice had accumulated before graduating…and I was immensely proud of her. She still has five X's less than me, but we both have a star.

When I passed a small cabin my thoughts turned to the night Lissa had been tortured by some of the other novices, the night of the Strigoi attack. I still couldn't believe that I'd almost lost her. The thought made me shake with more emotions than I could ever remember felling at once…rage, joy, fear, wonder, love, horror, and so many more for so many different reasons.

I remembered back to my promise of resigning from being Lissa's guardian. I'd taken care of that just before heading out to make my rounds in the woods, surprising everyone. But, to my surprise, they never asked me why I had no desire to be her guardian. I was still bewildered as to why they never asked me questions.

After a while of walking in complete silence I heard faint music and saw a very dim light coming from up ahead. Confused, and just a little wary, I started forward. Slipping from tree to tree I kept in the shadows. If it was a camper and their family I would simply inform them that there were on private property and needed to go a few miles in the direction they'd come to be off school grounds.

The closer I got the more confused I became. The music sounded oddly familiar to me…and I soon realized why. It was Russian music. It was a slower song, one that was meant for close dancing.

Unless I'd been dreaming the past months, nearly a year, I was sure that I was no longer in Russia. Who around here would be playing this music? Not even I did, tending to lean more towards this culture's music…even if it was older as my dear Roza claimed.

Just thinking about her brought a smile to my face…and then I froze where I was. There was a large fire burning, but I could see only one person.

The woman knelt by a CD player that had been placed on a flat rock. The song came to an end and the woman quickly flipped through to a different song. This one was meant for dancing as well, be it a different kind of dancing. Her hair hung in long, dark waves over her shoulder.

She grabbed the tambourine on the ground beside her and stood. With a small grin on her face she began her dance around her fire. Shaking the tambourine with one hand she began her slow twirl around the fire, throwing her arms in the air as her skirt flared out around her.

She wore a deep blue, pleated skirt with a golden sash tied low on her hips. At the bottom of her skirt was about two or three inches of gold cloth to match the sash about her hips. Coins, tied on the sash, fell against each other to add noise every time she moved, with every twist of her hips. Her top was the same color as the skirt, but ended above her stomach to give me a wonderful view of her belly. The sleeves of her bodice, two inches of the edges that same gold, hung wide so that they could swirl like her skirt, just a little though.

I noticed that, in the time since our night in the cabin, she'd gotten her belly button pierced. Lying against her stomach was the strange eye her mother had given her a while back, meant to protect her.

She twirled a few more times around the fire, her dance familiar yet different to me. I'd seen this dance performed only once before, by my own aunt and her mate who had considered herself to be a gypsy.

I could almost see a band of gypsies surrounding and dancing with the woman before me…my Roza. She looked so beautiful in the firelight, her face flushed with pleasure as her skirt flared to reveal her bare feet, a glitter of gold when the light bounced off the bracelet around her ankle.

To me, it was as though she were gliding, floating across the ground instead of actually touching it. I could imagine her in a time long forgotten, where she would have been able to spin around a fire like this nightly with live music and others to join her…other gypsies with a passion matching her own.

Even as I had the thought I heard something moving off to the side from where Rose danced. Tensing, I waited to see who would step out from the shadows, but soon relaxed when I saw the bright skirted Moroi girl enter the firelight. Her skirt was exactly the same as Rose's, only opposite. It was golden with a dark blue sash and trimming.

Lissa smiled, pushing her hair back over her shoulder, as she lifted her own tambourine into the air and began to dance in step with Rose. While they danced the same way, moving as one, it was Rose who I couldn't keep my eyes off of. While Lissa was beautiful, in a Moroi sort of way, Rose was beautiful in a more important sort of way…and, on top of that, I already loved her more than I should.

It wasn't just their dresses that were opposite, but they were too…brunette and blonde, tan and pale, curvy and slim, exotic and royal, daring and careful, dhampir and Moroi.

They were both beautiful in their own ways…yet it was Rose that I was drawn to. My Roza.

As I watched them dance two more figures appeared, dressed similar to them. One wore a red dress with orange trimming. It was Mia. She'd come to visit for two weeks with her father. Beside her stood a younger dhampir whose name I couldn't recall but vaguely remembered Rose speaking to on several occasions. She was dressed opposite of Mia and both looked a little nervous as they watched Rose and Lissa move so gracefully around the fire.

To my surprise more figures appeared, three more to be exact. But these three weren't wearing brightly colored dresses…and they were male. My eyes narrowed on them, wondering why they'd waited until now to step into the flickering light of the fire.

I didn't worry about Christian, since his eyes were only following Lissa, or Eddie since he was watching with only curiosity…and because he kept looking back to the other dhampir whose name was still a mystery to me. It was Mason who I didn't like seeing. His eyes were glued on Rose as she danced…and there was more than just curiosity there. I didn't like the way he was watching her, not by a long shot.

A sudden breeze went through the trees, rustling the branches and blew my hair over my shoulder. When the fire stirred, so did Rose.

She glanced my way in surprise, seeming to study the shadows around me intently before grinning wider than before. Glancing at a now confused Lissa, she quickly caught on to where they were since she'd gotten distracted when she'd noticed me.

I noticed that the dance had changed somehow, not for Lissa of course, but for Rose it had. She moved with more flare, her moves more pronounced…as though I wasn't already completely aware of her every move. She seemed to be moving with more purpose though…and that's when I realized what it was that made her dancing seem so different, it was meant to be more enticing than before. She'd been holding back in the beginning.

This was a real gypsy, meaning to entice the man she wanted with every sway of her hips.

Lissa seemed surprised at how Rose had subtly changed the dance, but kept up quite well. She couldn't quite mimic Rose's moves, since her curves were less pronounced than Rose's, but she managed rather well for herself.

As they finished out the dance Rose would glance back to where I was hiding in the shadows made by the trees. The smile never left her face and I found it hard to keep one from mine.

When the music ended Rose turned to face me completely, and I knew just what she wanted. She wanted me to join them, to dance with her around the fire, to celebrate our ability to be together even though we couldn't actually be together yet for a week.

"Rose, what are you looking at?" Lissa asked, moving to her side to stare in my direction. I could tell that she was trying to make something out where she didn't think something was. "I don't see..." she broke off, eyes widening. "Oh my God, Rose…someone's out there!" she cried quietly, gripping Rose's arm as though she would pull her away.

Suddenly the others were by their side, staring into the shadows as they tried to see me too. When they made out my shape, though obviously unable to see my face so they knew who I was, there was a varying of facial expressions. The boys all got these protective looks on their faces, Mia looked frightened yet determined at the same time, the still unknown girl looked wary, Lissa looked nervous but tried to hide it behind a calm look, and Rose just continued to smile.

"Yes, interrupting our party." She murmured in that sultry voice I loved so much. "If he thinks to just hang around to watch the dancing, he'd better plan on participating. Nothing is for free you know." I knew the words were directed towards me, especially when she added, "Comrade."

I didn't budge, wondering what she would do. I knew she wanted me to join her, but I wanted to know just how much she wanted me out there with her. So I was going to wait and find out.

"You know who that is?" Lissa asked, glancing at Rose in shock before turning her attention back on me. I knew she was mentally asking Rose how she knew who I was when not even she, who had a Moroi's more enhanced vision, couldn't make out who I was.

Rose's smile turned just a little mischievous. "Oh, I would know that shape anywhere…and I smelled his aftershave. _No one_ smells like him." She flicked a glance at Lissa. "Trust me, Liss. I could pick him out of a crowd blindfolded."

She moved before any of the others had a chance to realize what she was doing. She stepped into the shadows made by the tall trees and started towards me. Her hands slipped under the gold sash and she untied a blue one that I'd not noticed she was wearing. She held it in her hands even as her grin turned secretive and the sway of her hips turned seductive.

Mason started to go after her, but a wave of Lissa's hand had Eddie holding him back. "I think she knows what she's doing, give her a moment." She told him without taking her eyes off of her best friend. "Besides, if he tries anything Rose doesn't like I'll stop him if she doesn't."

Rose rolled her eyes at that comment, and then reached where I stood. Dropping one end of the sash, she reached out to trail a hand a cross my chest, over my arm, and across my back as she circled me. I knew the shadows surrounding us kept the others from seeing exactly when she was doing, but they could probably make out just enough of us to have a vague idea.

She rose on her tiptoes to brush her lips across my ear before whispering, "Dance with me, Dimka." Pulling back she smiled and threw the sash around my neck, taking both ends in her hands to lead me back where she'd come from.

Just before the others would be able to see who I was, I slipped out from under the sash and shook my head and gestured to them. I could see them, Rose could see me, but for them I was hidden behind a branch covered in leaves. She knew what I was meaning, I wasn't sure we could trust them to keep us a secret until after she graduated. After all, she was still technically off-limits to me since she was my student, eighteen or not.

Rose flashed a glance at the others, standing a few feet away and watching her with confused looks. Rolling her eyes she turned back to me, her hands on her hips. "They're my friends. They won't say anything about you slacking on your duties to come over here for one dance. I promise."

I flicked a glance at one person in particular who I thought might go play tattle-tale out of mere, petty jealousy because he couldn't have Rose. I wasn't so certain we could trust him.

She followed my gaze and let out a frustrated sigh. "Mason, will you promise not to say anything about tonight?" she asked, looking over at the boy in question.

He looked taken aback and blinked rapidly. "Me?" he asked, as though there were someone else here named Mason. "Why do I have to promise not to say anything…what about them?" he asked.

Did he have to whine so much?

"Just promise, okay? He thinks you'll be more likely to say something than anyone else will." She replied, glaring over at me through the branch I knew was partially obscuring my face from her view. "For _some_ reason, I don't think he trusts you."

I raised one eyebrow, even as Mason mumbled his promise, before running my eyes over her form once more. She knew as well as I did what Mason felt for her. She'd tried dating him, a fact I did not like to dwell upon, and knew he still wished she would come back to him.

She glanced down at her dress and sighed. "Okay, I get it. You don't need to be so blunt about it." She snapped at me, placing her hands on her hips and glaring once again. I merely rolled my eyes at her.

"Wait a minute." Lissa cried out. "I am so confused…he hasn't even said one thing, yet you sound like you're having an entire conversation, or rather an argument, that we can't really hear."

Rose glanced at her friends. "That would be because we _are_ having an argument that you can't hear. Well, that you can only half hear. I prefer talking out loud but he wants to be all quiet and secretive. Strong and silent type, that's what he is."

"But how do you know what he's saying?" Eddie asked with a frown as he tried to make out who I was yet again. "If he's being quiet, how do you know what to say to keep this conversation going?"

She smiled in my direction. "The faces he makes. I've gotten good at figuring out what he's going to say just by the faces he makes, even if no one else can tell." She smirked at me. "I'm just that good…right, Dimka?" she asked pleasantly.

"Who's Dimka?" Lissa asked. Before Rose could answer her, realization washed over her. She stared toward me with wide eyes. "Guardian Belikov is out there?" she asked in a surprised voice. Suddenly she turned to Rose. "He's been out there and he saw our dance?" she asked, sounding a little worried now.

I stepped around the branch in front of me and came into view, looking over at Rose. She was smirking at me once again, looking quite pleased with herself. "I should make you run some more just for that, Miss Hathaway." I told her, teasing her. The others, who didn't know me, obviously thought I was being serious because they all exchanged worried glances…before all talking at once and trying to take the blame off her.

When Rose started laughing so hard that she was bent over at the waist the others finally shut up, shocked looks mirroring from one to another. None of them could understand why she was laughing.

Finally she was able to calm down, but had to wipe tears from her eyes. "He was just kidding, guys. He's not really going to make me run laps." She leaned a little closer to add in a whisper so that only I could hear, "Especially because you enjoyed the show so much."

I raised one eyebrow. "And what happens if I'm not just playing this time? I could make you run laps just because I think you need some more practice. I specifically remember switching from running to fighting earlier than planned when I first took you on as a student." I taunted, but the others still thought I was being serious.

Rose knew better.

She grinned once more. "Ah, but we both know fighting one another was a _lot_ more fun than racing each other. Getting physical with you has always been worth my time." There was a twinkle in her eyes that I knew all too well…and I wondered if the others had caught on to her subtle flirting as I had. Well, two could play at that game.

"I hate to interrupt…" Lissa began before I had the chance to say anything, "but is she really going to get in trouble for this? It wasn't all her you know. I was dancing too. If she gets in trouble, then so do I." she looked determined now.

Rose shook her head, sighing with obvious regret. "She really does think that you're going to punish me for this. I suppose we'll just have to prove to her that you don't mind my dancing."

I couldn't help narrowing my eyes. "How so, Rose?" I asked warily.

She laughed quietly and threw the sash around my neck again. "Dance with me, Dimka!" she cried out, a grin covering her face. She looked so happy at that moment, I knew I couldn't refuse her…but I could at least drag the moment out a little long.

"Roza…" I sighed, fighting a smile. She was the only one who'd really seen me smile, and I couldn't always keep from sending her one of my 'rare' smiles, as she termed it, when she was smiling at me like that.

"Yes!" she cried out, doing a little victory dance in place. At the confused looks on her friends' faces she turned to them so she could explain. "He only ever calls me that when he's feeling particularly affectionate towards me. He often says it when he's giving in and giving me what I want."

"How would you take it if I told that I just wasn't in a whimsical mood?" I asked. "Maybe I don't want to dance around a fire in the middle of the woods right now." I couldn't help myself. It had been days since I'd been able to tease her like this. We'd been caught up with the Strigoi, then finishing the trials, and now with planning graduation. I'd not been able to see her and talk to her, joke with her.

She laughed, looking delighted. "Then I would tell you to remember the drive to Idaho and making snow angels. Remember cold sandwiches, spilt hot chocolate, ice melting in the car, or even our long talk about being stranded in a blizzard. Hm, what else is there?" she asked herself in a quiet voice. Her eyes took on a glint that had my eyes narrowing. "Remember the partner misunderstanding, the rose necklace, you playing Strigoi, the reason I won't cut my hair…or even the cabin." She grinned. "I'm sure you'll feel _something_, at least, if you think about the rose necklace or the cabin." She taunted.

I fought against my smile, raising an eyebrow. I would _not_ take the bait on that. "And what would you say if I told you that I do not know this dance?" I asked. I was sure she would come up with some excuse like she would teach me, which I didn't mind the thought of, but I was curious to see what she would say.

When she sent me a crooked smile I knew she had something up her sleeve. "I would call you a liar." She ignored the shocked gasps from beside us. "This is a Russian dance, and you are Russian. Therefore, you must know the dance." She stated haughtily.

She thought she had me.

"Ah, but this is a gypsy dance that just happens to be Russian. Just because I am Russian does not mean that I knew this." I stated, unable to completely hide my smile. The others didn't notice it of course, but Rose caught it immediately. She couldn't get this past me; I would always have a way to prove she hadn't thought this completely through.

When she sent me a mischievous grin I knew she had something else for me. "I have to admit that you would be right about that. Being Russian doesn't mean you know the dance." She admitted. "But you mentioned one time that one of your aunts was a gypsy and that she taught you the dance that I have in mind. So you know the dance and have no more excuses as to why you cannot dance with me." She sent me a triumphant smile.

"And you went and learned this dance why?" I asked. I needed to know why she's gone and learned a dance I'd probably only mentioned in passing.

"In case I ever had a chance like this." She replied sweetly before pulling me toward the fire via the sash still wrapped around my neck. "Please, Dimka…for me." She whispered.

I couldn't fight the smile anymore. "For you and only for you, my Roza." I stated in an equally quiet voice. I could barely keep myself from brushing my fingers across her cheek…I couldn't keep myself from stroking her arm, so the others wouldn't see, though.

She gave me a quick hug before dashing over to crouch by the CD player and skip to a new song. She stood up and turned to send me what I could have sworn was a seductive look. Gliding closer to me, we began a dance meant for two…especially when the two were lovers. It was a slow song where you had to concentrate on both your own feet and those of your partner. But most of your attention was to be on your partner.

It was a lover's dance from a reason. You were supposed to be so entranced with the other that you would notice nothing else.

My family had used the dance for centuries, teaching every member the dance. When one found their soul mate, one night you would dance and, in dancing, pledge yourself to them and only them.

I had told Rose about this dance.

The look in her eyes told me that she remembered what I had said about pledging yourself to this one partner…for life. Even if they died, the two of you were pledged to one another so that you would never be able to love another. It wasn't even impossible to be with another in any carnal way.

You were bound to that one person for the rest of your life and them to you.

This was her way of saying she was mine, and that I was hers. I had intended to ask her to dance with me, without her friends surrounding us and watching our every move, but it seems she had beat me to it.

As the dance progressed, the moves became more and more obvious as to what the dance was. Rose entered my arms, bending back over them as I bent toward her. My lips brushed her collar bone…and like that she was out of my arms, twirling away from me.

The problem with this dance was that it really was a _lover's_ dance. It was meant to excite and arouse while also having the couple pledging themselves to one another…and the couple were meant to make love when it was over, where they had danced, to complete the ritual.

She twirled around me, her skirt flaring out and stirring the fire as she brushed past it. The flames even seemed to be reaching toward her, as if wanting her to dance with them. I pictured her dancing in the midst of the flames without them ever touching her, but seeming to bow to her in praise.

When she circled me again she reached out with her hands to run them across my back and around to my chest. She spun so that she was facing away from me, leaning back into me before slipping down towards the ground. My hands trailed up from her hips as she slid down, brushing her sides before coming to rest on the arms she held up in the air.

I pulled her back up when she had crouched before me for a moment. Leaning into me once more she caught her breath while I led the dance. I gripped her waist and lifted her in the air as I spun in a quick circle before lowering her to the ground.

She slid out of my arms once more to twirl away from me, the coins clinking together with the rapid movement of her hips. The song had picked up in speed. She grabbed her skirt, lifting it to reveal her bare feet, as she spun in another circle. This time the fire was placed between us.

Meeting my eyes from across the fire she took hold of the edges of her dress once more, holding them above her head as she did another quick spin. The gold silk underskirt hid her legs from mine, and everyone else's, view. She moved her arms about her body so that her dress flared around her.

As I moved to her side of the fire she dropped her skirt and returned to my open arms. Her foot slid up and down my calf before she spun in my arms so she was, once again, facing away from me. We danced like that for a while, me lifting her in the air as we spun a few more times.

Finally she turned in my arms to face me, throwing an arm around my neck and wrapping one leg around mine. She left barely a breath between our lips, since in the dance this was the part where we kiss, even as the music stopped.

With a breathless laugh she bumped her forehead against mine and let go of me, much to my regret, and stepped back. I knew she was only putting distance between us because of our audience. A slight nod and the look in her eyes was the only thing that gave away her desire for them to be gone. "You're a good dancer there, Comrade."

I flashed a quick smile. "Don't tell me you're tired already. You've run laps that have taken more energy than that." The look in her eyes told me that she was breathless for another reason though. I gestured away from the others, wanting to talk to her alone. "Never said I couldn't dance, now did I? Now that we have that out of the way…may I talk to you for a moment? I have something I need to tell you." I gestured, again, away from the others. I wanted to tell her this before anyone else knew.

She gave a quick nod before walking over to where I'd pointed, putting more distance between us and the others. Tilting her head ever so slightly to the side she gave me a serious look. "What do you need to talk about, Dimitri?" she asked. She only ever used my full name when she was being serious.

I fought a smile. Thinking about her, clad in her brightly colored dress and dancing around the fire that was still blazing brightly, made me want to laugh at her serious face. She'd acted so much like a gypsy a moment ago I was having a hard time keeping up with her drastic change of character. "Maybe I want to talk about our little dance there." I commented, wanting to know just how much she remembered what I'd told her about it.

"I know it's a lover's dance, Dimka." She smiled up at me. "I remember everything you told me. Your family dances to it when you claim your soul mate." Suddenly she looked worried. "You didn't have to do it if you didn't want to you know. Besides, we haven't finished the ritual so it doesn't matter anyways." She masked her desperation with cool indifference.

"It matters very much." I replied softly. "I've been thinking for a while about that dance…you just beat me to it. If the others weren't here right now, we would be finishing the ritual." I couldn't help but picture her lying on the ground by that large fire, wearing nothing but the gold sash tied around her waist.

Her eyes darkened and I knew she was picturing something similar to what I was. She studied her friends for a quick, calculating moment before turning back to me with a gleam in her eyes. "I can get rid of them quickly if you want me to. I wouldn't mind them leaving for a long, _long_ while."

I allowed myself to chuckle, knowing she could do anything that she put her mind to…even getting rid of her friends so that we would be alone. "That's alright. There are no rules about how long you wait between the first and second part of the rituals. As long as we don't wait a month or two, I think we should be okay."

She looked at them once again, looking like she would rather have them leave now rather than wait until later for them to head back to the school dorms. Finally she sighed, turned back to me and gave a slight nod as though to agree with me. "Alright, now that we have that out of the way you can tell me what you really wanted me to come over here to talk about."

"And how do you know that that wasn't what I wanted to talk about?" I asked. I knew she was aware that it hadn't been what I'd brought her over here for, but I wanted to be alone with her longer.

"I know you, that's how I knew." She sent me a small smile before turning serious once again. "Now, what did you want to talk about?" she asked once again. This time she placed her hands on her hips.

"I resigned from being Lissa's guardian before coming out for patrol tonight." I told her. We had already talked about me doing this, but we'd never decided when I was going to tell Guardian Alberta. But this wasn't what I really wanted to tell her…that would come in a moment.

She frowned, clearly confused. "I know you were planning on doing that. Remember, we talked about it the night in the cabin. You decided you would resign because we couldn't be together if we were both guarding her. We would protect one another if a Strigoi attacked and would end up getting Lissa killed…neither of us wanted that to happen." She recounted the reasons I'd given her.

"Ah, but what you don't know is who they assigned me to after I'd said I didn't want to guard Lissa." I fought a smile at the curious, yet still confused, look on her face. "I have a feeling that we'll be seeing a lot of each other because our charges will be spending plenty of time together."

This really got her attention. Leaning forward just a little her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Who did you get assigned to that will be around Lissa a lot?" she asked quietly, the excitement in her voice was obvious to me even though she tried to hide it.

"Christian Ozera."

She grinned, but after a moment it started to dim. "Wait, but if you're guarding Christian won't we have the same problem? If a Strigoi happened to attack, we would protect one another instead of them and it could cost them their lives." She bit her lip and sent a worried glance toward her friends.

I smiled, tapping my temple with one finger. "I thought about that possibility too. They won't be together all the time though, they have to have some time apart somewhere in there to do their own things. If a Strigoi attacks while they're apart, we won't be distracted with protecting one another." I held my hand up to silence her when she started to say something. "If a Strigoi would happen to attack while they were together, we won't be their only guards. Every royal Moroi has two guards. We can watch out for each other and them, also having two others to help out in the fight if we need them."

The excitement I'd seen before returned and she smile once again. "I'll always be Lissa's close guard, so if you're always Christian's close guard we'll be by each other and can protect them while also protecting each other." She was nearly bouncing in place. "Have you told Lissa and Christian yet?"

Now, while we'd been having this conversation I'd been listening for any threatening or suspicious sounds. I was paying so much attention to Rose's utter joy that I hadn't been paying attention to the not-so-suspicious sounds though…and that was why I was so caught off-guard when I heard someone ask, "Tell Lissa and Christian what?" coming from right next to us.

Rose jumped, obviously not having been paying attention to the others anymore. I masked my surprise and calmly turned to look at the two currently standing next to us.

Lissa had asked the question, but Christian was standing next to her. She was watching us in confusion, her hands clasped in front of her, while he was watching us with a calculating expression, his hands stuffed into his pockets. I had the feeling that he was paying more attention to our actions than what we were saying…not good. Christian noticed things that other people tended to overlook.

"Dimitri resigned from being your guardian today." Rose stated in a calm voice. All of her excitement was masked behind a calm look, but I could still see it in her eyes. It was obvious the other two couldn't.

Lissa looked at me, a hurt look crossing her face. "But…why? I thought you liked me. Did…did I do something that made you mad enough to not want to be around me?" she asked. It looked like she was about to cry. Lissa didn't like the thought of people not liking her, no matter what they'd done to her.

"Of course not, Lissa." I told her in as soothing a voice as I could. I didn't want her to think that I was angry with her or that I didn't like her, I knew if her mood went south than Rose would take the bad feelings from her…and I didn't want Rose upset over this. "It has nothing to do with you."

"Then why?" she asked again. "I thought we would all be one happy family…the two of you and the two of us."

Rose moved forward, placing a soothing hand on her friends arm. "Don't worry Liss; we'll still all be one happy family. Dimitri will be there with us, only he'll be Christian's guard instead of yours."

"Wait." Christian interrupted. "If he's going to still be there, only as my guard, why didn't he just stay as Lissa's guard? Nothing is changing except the fact that he'll be with me when we're not together instead of her. What was the point in switching to my guard when you'll still be guarding her too if an attack is made while we're together?" he asked. I knew he was on to us when he glanced at Rose.

"The point was so we wouldn't be guarding the same person." Rose snapped when Christian's words seemed to worry Lissa more. After she'd said it, she realized what she might have possibly hinted at and her eyes widened. She shot a glance at me, but there was nothing I could do.

"But you too get along so well. Why wouldn't you want to both guard me?" she asked. Still too innocent for her own good…I knew Christian wasn't.

When he smirked, I knew he'd been hoping she would give something away. "Maybe the reason is that they get along _too_ well, Lissa." He said it calmly, but I knew he would taunt Rose later. That was their relationship, to be mean to each other.

Lissa turned to him, still looking confused. "But how could they get along too well? They're friends and will look out for each other while protecting me at the same time." She stated.

Christian sighed, looking down at her with the patience of a man deeply in love. "What I'm saying is that maybe they're not just friends. Perhaps there's more going on there than we know about. You have to admit that it would explain why Rose is always running off with him and not dating anyone."

Lissa's eyes widened. She looked back at us, finally noticing our close proximity and probably thinking back to our dance. "You mean you think they're…" she trailed off, looking at Rose with a hurt look. "Is there something going on with the two of you?"

Before either of us could say anything I heard something off to the other side of Rose. She must have heard something too because she tensed and started to look that way. I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer to me and then completely behind me, ready to protect her at all costs.

"Of course there's something going on between them." Adrian stated as he stepped out of the shadows. "Do you see how he's protecting her? Although, I can also see their auras and so I saw how Rose lit up like a supernova, a wondrous sight to see since she's always surrounded in darkness, when she saw him standing in the woods." He let out a low whistle, shaking his head as he studied us. "And don't _even _get me started on him. When they were dancing out there, I swear it nearly blinded me. I'm not sure what a firecracker to the face feels like, but it seemed like a horde of fireworks being shot right in my face when they were out there. At least that's what it seemed like to me."

Rose stepped around me, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. "You know Adrian, sometimes you really annoy me." She snapped at him, moving forward to poke him in the chest. "Who invited you anyways?"

He laughed at this and swung her around to face me, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "Why you did, little dhampir." When she went to argue he cut her off. "I was sitting with you at lunch and you told us all at the table that you were having a bonfire with Lissa tonight. Anyone who wanted to come could. When the girls said they wanted to, you and Liss both said you had an extra dress they could wear. By the way, looking hot tonight." His eyes slid down her form in her gypsy dress.

I saw red.

"Get your hands off her." I growled before I realized what I'd said. I didn't regret saying it. Three heads swung toward me and all looking caught off-guard, my outburst had surprised them. It had surprised me too. But I had the satisfaction of watching Adrian looking wary. He eyed me, and the space around me, for a moment before dropping his arm and taking a slow step backward.

"My hero!" Rose exclaimed quietly. She was looking pleased, as though my possessiveness towards her made her happy…which I knew it had. She liked it when I did something like this. "Hm…just like with Jesse." She purred. "I wouldn't have minded you throwing Adrian around a little bit though. I liked watching you nearly throw Jesse across the room…the only thing out here Adrian might hit is a tree."

I flicked a glance at the fire. While I could imagine my Roza dancing in it without getting burnt, I didn't think Adrian could even stand there without immediately getting hurt. I liked the thought more than I probably should have. Looking back at her I raised an eyebrow. I wouldn't mind throwing him into the fire to test my theory.

She glanced at the fire and shook her head. "No, you can't throw him in the fire. Smacking him around is one thing, but outright attempts to kill him is another. It was different when you threatened…V. D. and I knew you weren't really going to do it. Though I wouldn't have minded so much if you'd have come through on that threat, he deserved it. Adrian flirts with me all the time and you've not hinted at killing him."

"By the look on his face I'd say that he's thought a lot about it, though." Christian added.

I was mildly surprised that he had caught on to that. I wasn't used to anyone but Rose knowing what I was thinking…though, I was hoping that Adrian would catch on to it.

When Christian grinned, I knew he wasn't against my plan. "Is the fire big enough, Belikov?" he asked, eyeing it as though he thought it should be bigger. He confirmed my thoughts when he glanced back at me. "I can add a good ten feet to its width if you like. He'll never get out."

I couldn't help smiling at him. I liked this boy. We would get along just great, our mutual dislike of Adrian would at least see to that. "I was thinking fifteen…at the least." I stated, taking a small step toward Adrian.

"I like the way you think." Christian murmured even as the fire grew a little.

"Hey!" Rose cried, jumping in front of me. "I'm the reckless, think-before-I-act one here not you. What do you think would happen if the queen found out you'd murdered her great-nephew?" she punched me in the arm…hard. "Think, you idiot. Where's your famous self-control?" she asked angrily, crossing her arms over her chest.

I merely raised one eyebrow. "You know exactly how my self-control stands when dealing with you. If I had self-control when it comes to you do you think the incident in the cabin would have happened?" I asked quietly. "I don't think that dance would have happened either. I would also still be planning on being Lissa's guardian upon her graduation. A lot of things would be different if I had the self-control everyone says I do when you're involved."

Her lips formed a thin line as she thought about that. "You have a point…screw self-control, but not right now. There are times that call for it and times that don't. The cabin incident didn't, but this does. You can't just throw him in the fire and leave him to die."

I glanced at Adrian, the fire, and then Christian. "Alright, we won't. I'll throw him in and before he gets _too_ badly burned Christian will put the flames out. He'll be taught a lesson and live to remember it."

"Hm…not as good as Plan A, but I still like it." Christian stated. "I still think the fire should be bigger though...and maybe a little hotter." The smile on his face said he wouldn't put the fire out until he absolutely had to.

"If you don't think there's something going on there _now_, after all that, I don't know what will. But whatever it is that will prove it, I'm not doing it." Adrian stated, moving closer to Lissa but not taking his eyes off Christian and I. "You can come up with a Plan B on your own. I think that's enough death threats for me."

Lissa nodded and watched us as Adrian made his way around to the others, who were grouped away from us and whispering. They were probably talking about what they thought we were talking about over here. "So, how long has this been going on?" she asked.

"How did you two plan this out? There's no way you knew Dimitri would be here and this would come up. Have you developed telepathy with him and I just don't know about it?" Rose cried out.

"Hardly." Lissa replied with a ladylike snort. "I can just read his face is all. It's like with you and Mason, or you and Eddie. You two are just friends, yet you can communicate with them without saying anything. I have the feeling there's something more than just knowing what the other is saying when it comes to Dimitri." She stated dryly.

Rose sighed and I figured Lissa was mentally questioning her about our relationship.

"It makes sense though." She stated, sounding thoughtful. "You only went out a little since we came back, and even then it stopped after the thing with Dimitri and Jesse. Mason and you kind of dated, as you put it, but you couldn't get into it. After that you stooped flirting with guys even, spending all your time practicing with Dimitri. You didn't like Tasha when you first met her and I have the feeling it's because of how close she and Dimitri are, or were. Christian told me that you killed several Strigoi when they almost killed Dimitri in the cave. On top of all this, you seem to just disappear with him every now and then, there was that dance or you two not wanting to both guard me, his protective, not to mention possessive, attitude towards you when Adrian flirted with you. I just don't see how I never noticed it before."

"So you're not mad that I didn't tell you?" Rose asked sounding confused.

Lissa smiled a little at her. "I'm a little hurt that you didn't tell me and it makes me feel like you don't trust me, though you know that already. But no, I'm not mad at you. I can understand why you didn't say anything. You only turned eighteen a couple weeks ago and, on top of that, he's been you mentor. A teacher-student relationship would be looked down on, even if you are of age. Are you going to continue in this relationship?"

Rose looked at me and smiled. "That's the reason he resigned from being your guardian. If we were both supposed to be protecting you and a Strigoi attack occurred, we would be caught up worrying about one another and it could cost you your life." She turned back to Lissa. "Neither of us are willing to risk that, but we don't want to give each other up. So he was going to resign and we would take off on the same days to be together. But now he's Christian's guardian and we'll be able to see and protect one another while still protecting the two of you."

Lissa smiled, giving Rose a quick hug before turning to me. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me. "Hurt her and you'll deal with me." With that she looked over at the other group. Adrian turned and looked at her for a moment before nodding and turning back to the others with a wide grin on his face.

"Wow is it getting late!" he exclaimed, looking down at his watch. "Well, we should probably head back to the academy. We've already imposed on Guardian Belikov long enough; he can't slack on his duties much longer before they know there's something wrong because he didn't report in. Before long they'll come looking for him to make sure he's alright and there's not a threat to the school that's keeping him from making her report."

The others murmured their agreement and started back towards the school. Mason stopped and looked at the four of us who hadn't made a move to follow them. He looked at Rose and motioned for her to come on.

Rose shook her head, motioning for him to keep going. "We have something to talk about. Don't worry, we'll be back soon." She smiled a little. "Go on ahead without us. We'll be back in the dorm and fast asleep before you know it."

Mason glanced at the rest of us, his eyes stopping on me. I held his start of several moments before he looked away and nodded.

We waited until we couldn't hear them anymore before Lissa turned back to us. She moved forward to hug Rose again. "You owe me." She whispered in her ear.

I watched Lissa and Christian, feeling confused. Rose smiled at her friends as she walked away, Christian at her side.

I glanced at Rose as she turned to look at me, a smile tugging at her lips. "Where are they going?" I couldn't help but ask.

Her smile turned seductive as she reached up to grasp the ends of the blue sash that still hung around my neck, using it to pull me a little closer to her. "They're going to make sure no one in the other group turns around and comes back…so that we have some time to ourselves."

"Ah, Roza…" I grinned, pulling her against me. "That's good…because we still have a ritual to finish."

She brushed her lips against mine. "I wouldn't mind starting from the beginning again." She stated before slipping out of my arms to turn the CD player back on. Standing, she began dancing once again and I quickly joined her.

**- - -**

Lissa couldn't help but smile as she watched Rose and Dimitri stood by the fire. It was amazing, the changes that occurred in them once they were alone.

The look on Rose's face was one that Lissa had never seen before. She was looking at him as if he were the only person in the world, as if she only had eyes for him. There was a softening to her features that Lissa had only ever seen happen when Rose looked at her. There was a gentleness to her smile as she looked up at him.

And then there was Dimitri. She'd only ever seen the man with one expression: cool, indifferent, void of all emotion. He wasn't like that now. A soft smile curved his lips, making him look a little more boyish than the hard man that he really was. There was something gentle, loving in the way he reached out to take her into his arms. He looked at her like she was the most beautiful treasure in the whole world, as if he wouldn't trade her for anything.

The love shining in his eyes was enough to make Lissa's own heart sigh with pleasure.

A part of her had always known how lonely Rose was and that it was the reason she'd dated so many guys, getting a bad reputation when it came to them. She'd never had a good relationship with her mother, but it was getting better. Her father…well, she didn't even know who he was, since her mother would tell her.

Her own family had taken Rose in, treating her like one of them even though she was a dhampire. It had been just as hard on Rose as it had been on her when they'd died in that accident. She'd not been able to lose Rose too, so she'd brought her back and, in doing so, cursed her to always have a connection with the underworld.

Rose always claimed it didn't bother her, but it had when she'd begun seeing ghosts. But Rose was strong, so much more than anyone Lissa had ever met, and hadn't let anyone convince her that she was crazy.

Lissa was proud of her and glad she and Dimitri were together. Rose needed someone other than her to be able to confide in. Lissa knew it had been hard on Rose when she and Christian had gotten together, since Rose seemed to have no one else.

Lissa supposed she'd always known there was something between her best friend and her future guardian. She couldn't deny that there had been signs. Rose had always run to him when there was a problem, trusted him when it seemed she'd trusted no one else. The looks she'd caught them sending each other on occasion, full of sadness and longing, should have tipped her off.

She watched as Rose turned the CD player back on and they began the dance they had preformed earlier when she'd asked him to dance with her. She couldn't believe how much they must have been holding back before.

Eyes wandered, lips met, hands roamed, bodies slid together…she'd thought the dance was erotic enough before, but she didn't have words to describe it now that they were alone.

Christian had kept following the group, making sure none of them turned around. He said he would come back for her when they were close to the dorms and she had made sure that Rose was alright.

Rose was more than alright. If the look on her face was any indication, she was quite content to be alone with Guardian Belikov…Dimitri.

When the dance ended, with Rose's arm around Dimitri's neck and her leg curled around his, Lissa couldn't believe how close they were….even closer than before. Rose seemed to have molded her body to Dimitri's…and if the kiss they were indulging in was any indication, this wasn't the first time they'd been alone.

Lissa watched with wide eyes, her own mouth going dry as she watched her friend. She knew she should have walked away now, but she couldn't tear her eyes off them.

Rose was doing a great job at keeping her blocked out, which she was happy about because she didn't want Rose to know she was watching them, because she didn't seem to notice that Lissa was there. Sure, there was a good distance between them. Because of Lissa's enhanced vision she didn't need to get too close to them to see what was going on.

Lissa's jaw dropped when things really started heating up.

As she watched, Rose pushed Dimitri's coat off his shoulders and started working on the fastenings of his shirt. His hands fell to her waist.

There was definitely more going on here than Lissa had been aware of.

When Rose's skirt fell into a pool around her feet and Dimitri's hands moved to allow her to slip his shirt off Lissa knew it was time to go…especially when Rose's hands fell to his pants and Dimitri's slipped under her shirt.

Lissa tore her gaze from them, her own body warming in response to what she'd seen before her. She turned away and started to pick her way back through the trees.

"Lissa! I told you to wait for me and that I would come back for you."

Lissa raised her head to see Christian hurrying her way. He was off to her right, so he'd been almost reached where she'd been hiding while watching Rose and Dimitri. Her cheeks burned hotter than before when she thought of what he might have seen had she not left when she had…at the thought of what else she might have seen.

He frowned when he reached her. "Lissa, you're red…" His eyes searched her face, worried about her. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, reaching out to lay his hand on her forehead and then her cheek. She was burning up.

She nodded quickly. "I'm fine." She replied, shifting from foot to foot.

His frown deepened. Her voice sounded strangled, and lower than usual. He'd only heard her sound like that one time and that was when… His eyes widened, taking in her appearance…flushed cheeks, restless, husky voice. "Lissa…what did you see back there when you were watching Rose and Belikov?" he asked slowly.

"Nothing." She replied quickly…too quickly.

"Well then, I see no reason why I can't go have a peek to see what they're up to. I'll need something new to make fun of Rose about anyways. Other than what I got earlier, it would be nice to have something else." He turned around and started back the way she'd come.

"No!" she cried, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "Christian you can't go back there."

"And why not?" he asked, turning to her and raising an eyebrow.

When she turned a brighter shade of red and silently met his eyes, he couldn't help but grin. "Oh, so _that's_ what they're up to. Well, I thought there was something going on there…especially after the incident with the Strigoi attack."

"Come on." Lissa grabbed his hand and started pulling him back towards the academy. "Let's head back to our dorms and get some sleep."

Christian grinned and started walking a little faster. "Actually…" he began, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I was thinking about going to the church…"

"Hopefully to repent." Lissa responded in a breathless voice as she hurried to keep up with him.

He chuckled, glancing at her over his shoulder. "Not even close, Lissa. Not even close."

**- - -**

Rose stared up at Dimitri as he hovered over her, a soft smile curving his lips that she'd only ever seen him send her when no one was watching. "I love you, Dimka." She whispered.

His smile widened a little before he leaned down to kiss her gently, skin sliding effortlessly against skin. "I love you too, Roza." He whispered in return.

The last thought she had before passion swept her away was that she would have to do this more often. If this was her reward, than she would continue playing gypsy and go dancing in the night with her Dimka.


	2. Info On SpinOff storiesPlease read!

**I just wanted to alert anyone reading this story that, first off, I am not leaving ff. I believe that it would be akin to me giving up and letting D. Kelly win-and I won't let that happen. The story was mine first and I'm not letting her keep it.  
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**Second, there is a part in this story I would like you to reread:**

She laughed, looking delighted. "Then I would tell you to remember the drive to Idaho and making snow angels. Remember cold sandwiches, spilt hot chocolate, ice melting in the car, or even our long talk about being stranded in a blizzard. Hm, what else is there?" she asked herself in a quiet voice. Her eyes took on a glint that had my eyes narrowing. "Remember the partner misunderstanding, the rose necklace, you playing Strigoi, the reason I won't cut my hair…or even the cabin." She grinned. "I'm sure you'll feel _something_, at least, if you think about the rose necklace or the cabin." She taunted.

**You may remember this part. I had Rose list all these things, just typing in random things that popped into my head and then thinking nothing else about it. After a while, I decided that these might make interesting short, spin-off stories. So far I have written Snow Angels and Ice Melting in the Car. I also have two other stories about them called Sweet Revenge Bonds that, while they were not mentioned in this story or really connected to it, I got the ideas while thinking up plots for these stories mentioned.**

**I will be writing all these stories and more about Rose and Dimitri. I have nothing but short stories planned because, while these are all connected in ways, they are not a single story. I hope that if you liked this story (it is one of my favorites and, so far, my all time favorite VA story) you'll check the others out and tell me what you think about them. Thanks!**

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